Genealogist shares tips

OLGA LIVSHIN

Translated from the Greek, genealogy means the study of generations. In the last couple of decades, the discipline of genealogy has become more in fashion; it seems everyone is tracing his or her family tree, some out of desire to find their place in the larger historical panorama, others out of their self-assumed responsibility to future generations. For Jews, genealogy is of utmost importance: so many Jewish families were sundered during the calamities of the past centuries, links to the past broken.

Michael Goldstein is a professional genealogist. President of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) and a member of the JewishGen board of governors, the Jewish

Genealogical Society of Montreal and the Israel Genealogy Research Association, Goldstein is one of the most respected Jewish genealogists in the world. On April 24, he will speak to the Jewish Genealogical Institute of British Columbia in Vancouver.

In a phone interview with the Jewish Independent from Jerusalem, the Toronto-born and Montreal-raised Goldstein said his fascination with genealogy started about 25 years ago. “My oldest son needed a project for his bar mitzvah,” he said. “We started working on our family tree together, and I was hooked. Long after his bar mitzvah, I continued investigating our family roots. I also began helping other people with their research. Ten years later, I started doing it professionally.”

His company, Jewish Genealogy Search, is based in Jerusalem, but Goldstein often travels to North America and Germany for the project. “I have a network of people who can get the data I need from the archives in many countries in the world…. Many of the documents we use for research are not on the Internet yet.”

Besides assisting his clients in exploring their ancestry and building their family trees, he also offers classes on genealogy and one-on-one coaching. “I help people to launch their own research, show them how it’s done, how to use various sources,” he explained of the services he offers. “I also work with lawyers and courts at locating heirs. It makes some people very grateful, when they realize they inherited some money from relatives they didn’t know about,” he said of the upside of the legal end of his work.

Goldstein’s company provides guidance, helping clients to unlock their family history, and also locates Israeli submitters of Holocaust Pages of Testimony, a Yad Vashem project that began in the 1950s. He searches for lost family members in North America, Israel, the United Kingdom and the former Soviet Union and conducts audio and video interviews to preserve personal memories. His assistance extends to preparing people for family reunions and he can supply Yiddish, Hebrew, Russian, English, French and Polish translations.

In Goldstein’s opinion, genealogy has become very popular for several reasons. “People are interested in their roots. We no longer live with extended families, no grandparents who kept oral traditions alive. But we all want to know who we are” he said, later adding, “Genealogy is more than names and dates. Knowing where your ancestors lived, what they did, how long they lived and how they died provides insight into understanding your family’s unique tapestry. And it may lead you to discover new relatives across the world.

“Research is easier and much faster today than it was before the Internet and e-mails,” he added. “Thirty years ago, you would send a letter, and a reply might come back in a few months. Now, e-mails are instantaneous.”

For him, the most rewarding moment in his endeavors is finding rare kernels of information. “I love the feeling of discovery. I’m still trying to find out how our family connected to Ze’ev Jabotinsky. I know we are distant cousins, but the exact relation is still unclear.” He strongly believes his six grandchildren will be interested in his discoveries when they grow older.

Genealogical research frequently challenges even such an experienced researcher as Goldstein: “I do lots of research in eastern Europe,” he explained. “Many records there, especially Jewish records, have been lost or destroyed…. Sometimes I get lucky and find some ‘revision’ list from the middle of the 19th century. Other sources might include census records, social security records, vital records, ship registries, Yad Vashem and cemeteries’ documents.”

Goldstein often writes articles about his research techniques and his findings for Avotaynu, the journal of Jewish genealogy. And he speaks to other genealogists at lectures and conferences. “We have our Annual International Conference on Jewish Genealogy. This year, we’ll hold it in Paris. Usually, about 1,000 people attend.”

Goldstein will address the JGIBC on Finding Your Israeli Family and on Breaking Through Brick Walls on April 24, 7:30 p.m., at Temple Sholom. The first segment will feature a demonstration on how to search for living Israeli relatives. Those interested in submitting names may send advance information on who they will attempt to locate and steps taken to date to [email protected], to enable a pre-investigation. Participants are also encouraged to provide Yad Vashem Pages of Testimony. For more information on Goldstein’s work, visit jewishgenealogysearch.com.

Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].

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